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Active youth in the peace building process in Colombia

After more than half a century of conflict, the signature of a definitive ceasefire agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signals a historic movement towards peace. Colombia’s youth have suffered tremendously from the ongoing conflict. More than half of the war’s eight million registered victims were younger than 28 years old. In Colombia in general, of the 13 million young people, 4.5 million are neither working nor studying. Young people represent more than half of the total of registered unemployed, and most young people who are working hold precarious jobs.

This project will support economic opportunities for vulnerable Colombian youth in conflict-affected territories by piloting approaches for financial inclusion and career training. Through this project, Fundación Capital - FundaK, a Colombian non-governmental organization working to develop new approaches to poverty reduction through public and private partnerships, will develop, test, and assess a scalable strategy that targets the specific needs of youth in post-conflict regions in Colombia. The aim will be to promote employability and economic opportunities for them. The project will foster financial literacy and inclusion, provide young people with professional orientation, life planning, and coaching, and use digital solutions to foster learning and allow for cost-effective expansion.

This pilot will target 1,200 youth. If results are successful, the approach will be scaled up to reach a larger number of young people. It will help ensure that this generation of young people can find a future in Colombian society and contribute to the peace process.